The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-06-29
NO DANGER OF an OUTBREAK.
THE REPORTED NEGRO INSURREC-
TIoN IN LAURENS COUNTY.

| TION IN LACRENS SoCNI1.
Holding Meetings at Midnisht--No Au-
thority for the Dire Threats Said to Have
Been Made--"Principlcs'' of the "Co-
Operative Workers of America"
(Frou the News and Courier.)
LAURESs, June 20.-Colonel J. H.
Traynham, of the Governors staff, and
Captain L. E. Hby, of the Laurens
Guards, have returned from Cedar
Grove, Young's township. Colonel
Traynham refuses to be interviewed, but
he will proceed to Columbia and report
directly to Governor Richardson to-
morrow. Captain hby, however, is IN
der no obligation to report officially, and
has very kindly furnished me such in,
formation as he had.
There is no doubt that some of the
negroes are organized, and that they
often hold meetings between midnight
and daylight with the greatest precau-
tions at secrecy, sentinels being station
ed at convenient distances from the
rendezvous. The various dire threats
that have been so widely circulated can
not be traced authoritatively to the or
ganization. There will be no outbreak
unless the negro leaders shall act rashly,
as the whites preserve great caution. 1
neglected to say that the meetings are
held near the lines OF Laurens and
Greenville counties, on the Greenville
side,
The organizations are known as the
'sCo-operative Workers CT America, !"
and are the offspring of the Hoover in
huence, and many believe they are for
the purpose of extorting money from the
ignorant negroes. It costs each member
one dollar and ffty-fve cents to take all
the degrees, and one dollar and fifty
cents of that amount is forwarded to
Hickory, n. C. Several packages of
money have been sent from Simpson
vile, Greenvile county, and Woodruff,
Spartanburg county, to Hickory, n. G.
I have secured some OF the literature
OF the "Co-operative Workers of Ameri-
ca, issued "by order OF the executive
board, II. F. Hoover, president; ". R.
kilian, vice-president; John F. Ross,
general secretary; G. L. Hawn, treasur-
er: J. a. Bolch, general auditor: Martin
Nolder, general committee agent" I'm
der cover Of small pamphlet, signed as
above indicated, I CLEAN what purports
to be the principles and objects Of the
organization.
ut is the proper object Of government
to make laws that will secure the great
est good to the greatest number, on the
basis of absolute justice, with an aim to-
ward universal liberty.
"For many years our government has
been run to the advantage of few, for
the benefit Of privileged class-the
moneyed aristocracy, while the masses,
the useful people, have hard burdens
hard to bear."
The objects OF the organization are
declared to be:
''To elevate and dignity labor; to Sc
cure to the laborer a just share of the
products of his toll; to instruct him in a
knowledge of his rights and his wrongs,
and his duty to his country and his fel-
bowman; to use all rational means to
better his social, moral and financial con-
dition.'
To accomplish these objects they de-
mand:
''The establishment of bureaus of
labor statistics; the abrogation of laws
that do not bear equally upon capital
and labor; the adoption of measures
providing for the health and safety of
th ose engaged in mining, &C.; the en-
actment OF laws to compel corporations
to pay their employees weekly in lawful
money; the enactment OF laws providing
for arbitration between employer and
employees; the enactment of laws to
prohibit the hiring out of convict labor
and to work convicts on the public
roads; that the importation of foreign
convict labor be prohibited; that the
poll tax be repealed; the establishment
of a free cooperative school system; the
abolition of child labor in mines, work
shops and factories. -
They demand of Congress: "That the
public lands, the heritage of the people,
be reserved for actual settlers, &c.; the
establishment of a national monetary
system; that a graduated income tax be
levied so that the greater the income tie
higher the rate of taxation; the enact
ment Of a graduated forfeiture Act to be
levied on the estates of the rich at their
death; that the government shall organ
ize financial exchanges, safe deposits,
&C.; that the government construct pos
tai telegraph or telephone system, &C.;
that United States Senators be elected
by the people; that the Government es
tablish and maintain free ballot in
every State of the Union; q radical re-
duction in the fees, salaries and per-
quisites Of government officials is de-
manded; that the hours OF labor be re-
duced."
Then they say:
"We are opposed to war, and consider
strikes as dangerous to society, hurtful
to the participants and contrary to the
interest of good government.
They promise cooperation with the
! knights OF Labor and all similar organi-
cations.
Colonel Trayni'am's port.
After stating that, in obedience to the
order of the Governor, he visited Cedar
Grove OF the 18th instant and inter
viewed several prominent men il regard
to the matter, Colonel Traynham says:
e%1,,